


Reflex response

by Guardian_Rose



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Dorks in Love, Fluff, Happy Ending, Jealousy, M/M, Tiny? bit of angst? Miniscule but enough for plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 21:45:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12944613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_Rose/pseuds/Guardian_Rose
Summary: Paul can't help it. It isn't rational or founded in actual, true concern. Hugh loved him and he loved Hugh. But still. Feelings aren't always based on fact.In which Paul gets a tiny bit jealous and ends up in sickbay.





	Reflex response

Stamets wasn’t one to be overly affectionate in public; there were exceptions of course, normally when he knew Hugh was stressed or when Paul himself was wavering on the verge of exhaustion but couldn’t find a comfortable way to sleep without his dear doctor. It wasn’t that he wasn’t averse to affection, he just was...not very expressive. But neither was Hugh, he was more one with words than actions but if one had to specify who was the most expressive, Hugh would win. Easily.

 

One thing that Paul was though, was confident. He was self-assured. He knew what he knew and didn’t boast more than that or play down to less than that, his surety in his field of work and life is what had gotten him where he was in one piece with a pretty sound frame of mind. Of course, this lent him to being insecure in something because no one was perfect and Paul knew for definite that he wasn’t. He knew he loved Hugh and he knew Hugh loved him; they’d been through enough to have figured that out at least. But no one was perfect.

 

So when he arrived to their shared quarters and Hugh wasn’t there already like he should have been, he’d memorised the doctor’s shifts for the week when he was bored, Paul couldn’t help the pang of worry that radiated in his stomach. He frowned, which was hardly abnormal for him but he never normally  _ meant _ to frown, and sat down on the edge of the bed, unsure what to do now he was apparently destined to have dinner alone. Not that he would admit it, but he spent a good five minutes waiting just in case whilst really sulking a little before mentally kicking himself and going to get some dinner. Maybe even dessert. Maybe. 

 

He supposed that Hugh may have just taken on a third shift, he was always one to push himself to his uttermost limits when carrying out his duty but it wasn’t like there’d been anything abnormal to put more people than normal into sickbay. Paul had taken roughly five steps in through the door when he saw them. His attention naturally searching out Hugh in any room, anywhere. He was at a table, a half eaten meal in front of him, laughing brightly with one of the new med crew they’d rescued the day before. Paul gritted his teeth but went to get his dinner, he sat down next to Hugh who greeted him with a soft smile and a quiet ‘hi’ but no acknowledgement of the change in their usual routine. He made sure to sit close enough to brush arms and legs with Hugh more than normal but didn’t mention that anything was off.

 

This happened gradually more and more often as the week progressed. Neither of them mentioned it. Paul went from trying to be more affectionate with Hugh but that didn’t seem to be noticed. A whole lot of him wanted to freeze him out, which was a stupidly petty and ridiculous idea so he put a stop to that train of thought. Thus he ended up thinking more about Hugh than what he was doing when cutting some samples from the planet they were currently visiting in the name of his own research, Lorca was good for something after all. 

 

He hadn’t even noticed he’d managed to cut right through the plant and was about to cut into his own forearm, just below the wrist, until Tilly cried out in warning. Which shocked him out of his thinking. Turns out a surprised Paul is a jumpy Paul who forgets he’s holding a knife, because he preferred the old fashioned way at times. 

 

***

 

“Explain to me what happened again would you?” Hugh’s eyebrows were raised in disbelief and Paul could feel the blush on his cheeks, he glanced down at his freshly healed hands.

 

“I wasn’t paying attention and Tilly caught me by surprise. I jumped, dropped the knife I was using then, without thinking, tried to catch the knife as it fell and managed to slice up my hands rather well.” He resisted rolling his eyes as the doctor sighed.

 

“What had you so distracted? You’ve been...different all week and not spore drive different. What’s wrong?” 

 

Paul took a deep breath and took Hugh’s hand in his, screw protocol for a few minutes. “I’ve, well to be...completely honest, I’ve been a little -this is awful, by the way -  _ jealous _ of all the time you’ve been spending with uh. I don’t know his name but the doctor we picked up.”

 

Hugh stared blankly at him. “Jealous? You?”

 

“Yes.” Paul looked him in the eye, more at ease now he’d admitted it, Hugh looked like he’d stopped functioning.

 

“You.”

 

“Doctor Culber-” Paul started.

 

“Hugh.” He breathed out. “This isn’t work. Why didn’t you tell me? You know I would’ve at least explained how stupid you were being to you. I will now in fact. You’re being stupid and getting yourself hurt is most definitely not the way to get my attention.”

 

“I hardly intended to drop the knife.”

 

“Oh but you meant to catch it?”

 

“It was instinct!”

 

“How- no, that’s not the issue right now. Paul, I love you.” Hugh whispered the last bit, he was searching for something in Paul’s eyes.

 

“I love you too, Hugh. I’m overreacting and I know that. It was irrational.” Paul smiled softly up at his doctor who rolled his eyes once again, he honestly wondered at the people who thought they were so different from each other. 

 

“Right. Because feelings are just  _ so  _ ridiculous.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> 1.) This is my first fic with these two so I am sorry for the characterisation if you dislike it, think it needs editing or anything else. I have yet to get into the swing of them and there aren't enough fics for me to gauge it as accurately as I'd like by just reading.
> 
> There isn't really a 2. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3
> 
> Any and all comments welcome, especially prompts! <3
> 
> Find me on tumblr @guardian-rose-petal  
> Find my Original Writing Blog @eleanor-elizabeth-writes


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